Page 27 - Approved Social Media Framework and Guidelines
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Annexure II: Use of Social Media by Government Agencies




               Social  media  is  used  by  several  government  organisations  to  engage  with  various
               stakeholders  for  the  purposes  of  disseminating  information,  seeking  inputs  into  policy
               making,  recruitment,  providing  access  to  services,  educating  stakeholders,  etc.  In  this
               section, a brief description of use of social media by different governments across the world
               and some examples from India has been presented to demonstrate the varied use of social
               media by government agencies.



               International Experiences


               Across the world, various government agencies at Federal, state and local government level
               are using the various social media platforms to interact with their stakeholders. While many
               local  government  agencies  including  Mayor’s  offices  of  many  cities  in  United  States  use
               social media for community building and even recruitment, most state and federal agencies
               use social media for either seeking expert opinion or creating/influencing public opinion.
               Many  agencies  at  federal  level  are  also  using  this  platform  to  gauge  public  reactions  on
               upcoming/proposed  policy  measures.  Given  below  are  a  few  examples  from  across  the
               world.


               United States of America

               Many federal and state government agencies are actively engaging with their stakeholders
               using social media. Some examples of use of social media are

               ·       The  White  House  Facebook  Page  and  The  White  House  Twitter  profile  –
               WhiteHouse.gov


               ·       State Department Facebook Page


               ·       U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Facebook Page

               ·       US Army Facebook Page

               In addition to established platforms created by private organisations, US government has
               also created its own platforms. A social network Web site called GovLoop.com was created
               within the US Department of Homeland Security to share experiences and best practices.


               Australia
               The Australian Public Service Commission in 2008 announced a set of interim protocols to

               agencies  that  are  using  or  planning  to  use  online  media,  including  blogs,  as  a  means  of
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